A standard size single bed in the UK has a mattress measuring 90cm wide by 190cm long, which is 3ft by 6ft 3in. It is the narrowest adult bed size sold as standard, and the size that almost all single bedding, mattress protectors and toppers are made for.<\/p>\n
The frame is larger than the mattress. Most single frames measure 95cm to 105cm wide and 195cm to 205cm long once the side rails and headboard are counted, so plan a room around a footprint of about 100cm by 200cm.<\/p>\n
The standard sizes run single at 90cm by 190cm, small double at 120cm by 190cm, double at 135cm by 190cm, king at 150cm by 200cm and super king at 180cm by 200cm. A single is 30cm narrower than a small double and 45cm narrower than a standard double, but it shares the same 190cm length as both.<\/p>\n
There is also a long single, sometimes listed as an extra long single, which keeps the 90cm width and extends to 200cm. It is the only way to gain length without gaining width, which makes it useful for a tall teenager in a narrow room.<\/p>\n
Children’s beds are where sizing becomes less consistent. A cot bed is commonly around 70cm by 140cm, and toddler beds vary by manufacturer. A standard single is the next proper step up, and it is usually the last bed size a child needs before adulthood.<\/p>\n
That is worth bearing in mind when buying for a child’s room. A single with a simple frame and a good mattress will still be appropriate ten years later, whereas a novelty or themed low bed rarely lasts beyond a few years. Our children’s beds UK sale<\/a> range includes single sizes that suit both a young child and a teenager, which avoids buying twice.<\/p>\n Allow around 100cm by 200cm for the frame, then add circulation space. At least 60cm of clear floor on the access side makes the bed easy to use and to make up. If the bed sits in a corner with two sides against walls, expect to strip the bedding from one side only, which is manageable on a single but tiring on anything wider.<\/p>\n Many UK third bedrooms measure roughly 2.1m by 2.6m. A single fits that comfortably with room for a narrow chest or a small wardrobe. In a room under 2m in either direction, the position of the door swing usually decides the layout more than the bed itself.<\/p>\n Upholstered frames give a single bed a softer look and are quiet in use, which matters in a small room where the bed is close to the wall. Our single fabric beds UK sale<\/a> range includes low frames for compact rooms as well as taller padded headboards for a guest room you want to feel more finished.<\/p>\n Timber frames handle heavy everyday use well and suit a room where other furniture is wooden. Metal frames are the slimmest and lightest, easy to move for cleaning and easy to carry upstairs. High gloss frames reflect light, which can help a small north facing room, though they need wiping more often.<\/p>\n Bunk beds and cabin beds are variations built on the single size, using the same 90cm by 190cm mattress. They solve a shared room without changing the bedding you need.<\/p>\n Single beds sit in the smallest rooms, which is exactly where under bed storage earns its place. Drawer versions give quick access but need clear floor on the drawer side, and in a narrow room that side is often the only walkway.<\/p>\n Ottoman singles lift the whole base and use the full area underneath. They store considerably more and need no side clearance, only space above. A cabin bed goes further again, combining a single mattress with drawers and sometimes a desk beneath, which can furnish an entire small room in one piece.<\/p>\n Where the bed has no storage, a slim chest beside it is the practical answer. You will find narrow options in our modern chest of drawers UK<\/a> range that fit rooms where a wide chest would block the door.<\/p>\n Depth varies from around 16cm on a simple foam mattress to over 28cm on a pocket sprung model. In a child’s room a shallower mattress lowers the bed, which is safer and easier to get into. In a guest room a deeper mattress makes the bed feel more generous, which counts when it is only used occasionally.<\/p>\n Check the slat spacing on the frame before choosing. Gaps of around 5cm to 7cm suit most mattresses, while wider gaps are not ideal for foam. Depth, size and support type are all listed in our mattresses UK sale<\/a> range so you can match a mattress to an existing single frame with confidence.<\/p>\n A UK single duvet is normally 135cm by 200cm, which gives sensible overhang on a 90cm mattress without trailing on the floor. Fitted sheets are cut for a 90cm by 190cm mattress, and deep mattresses need a deeper skirt.<\/p>\n Long singles need a 200cm fitted sheet, so the standard single sheet will not fit. European single sizes are commonly 90cm by 200cm, which explains why imported sheets sometimes seem loose lengthways on a UK single mattress.<\/p>\n Third bedrooms and box rooms are the obvious homes for a single, since much of the UK housing stock includes a room that was never designed for anything larger. Guest rooms are the second use, particularly where two singles are more flexible than one double: pushed together with matching mattress depths they accommodate a couple, and separated they suit two guests.<\/p>\n Singles also work in study bedrooms where a desk has to share the floor with a bed, and in annexes and garden rooms where every centimetre counts. If you are furnishing a whole room, matching the bed to storage in the same finish keeps the space looking deliberate. Our bedroom furniture sets UK sale<\/a> range covers coordinated wardrobes and drawers, and you can browse the wider collection at Furniture in Fashion<\/a>. We offer free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes, and Returns are available up to 30 days.<\/p>\n Measure the wall the bed will sit against, note the door swing, and check for a radiator or a low window sill that a headboard would obstruct. Confirm the assembled frame dimensions rather than relying on the mattress size, since upholstered frames can be noticeably wider than the 90cm mattress inside them.<\/p>\n Check the access route as well. Singles are the easiest size to move, but a fully built frame still has to turn on the landing. Flat packed designs remove that concern entirely and are simple enough for one person to assemble in an hour or so.<\/p>\n The standard single is the most flexible size for a room that has to do more than one job. Two singles placed along opposite walls suit a shared children’s room or a guest room that takes two visitors, and each bed only needs about 100cm of wall depth once the frame is accounted for. A day bed uses the same 90cm by 190cm mattress but reads as seating during the day, which works well in a study.<\/p>\n Where the room is used mainly as an office, a guest bed with a pull out second mattress keeps a second sleeping space available without permanently occupying floor area. Check both mattress depths if the two beds will be used side by side, since the lower mattress is often shallower than the upper one and the surfaces will not sit level.<\/p>\n Single frames often take harder use than larger beds, particularly in a child’s room where the bed doubles as a seat and a play surface. Tighten the corner fixings and headboard bolts twice a year, which is easiest to remember if you tie it to a seasonal bedding change, and check the slats are still centred in their supports at the same time.<\/p>\n Rotate the mattress head to foot every few months so wear spreads across the whole surface rather than concentrating where the sleeper lies. If the mattress is single sided, rotate it but do not flip it. Lift rather than drag the frame when cleaning underneath, and replace a cracked slat promptly, because a broken slat pushes its load onto its neighbours and shortens the life of the mattress above it.<\/p>\n The mattress is 90cm wide by 190cm long, equal to 3ft by 6ft 3in. The frame is usually 95cm to 105cm wide and 195cm to 205cm long.<\/p>\n Yes, for one adult. At 90cm wide it gives the same width per person as a super king does per sleeper, so it is comfortable for one person of average height.<\/p>\n A small single, occasionally listed at 75cm wide, is narrower than the 90cm standard. It is far less common and bedding for it is harder to find.<\/p>\n Two 90cm singles pushed together measure 180cm across, which matches a super king in width. The mattresses need to be the same depth for the surface to be level.<\/p>\n Most UK bunk beds take standard 90cm by 190cm single mattresses, though they often specify a maximum depth for safety on the top bunk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A standard size single bed in the UK has a mattress of 90cm by 190cm, equal to 3ft by 6ft 3in, and it is the size almost all single bedding and mattress toppers are made for. This guide places the single within the full UK…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":58088,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[2389,2669,2661,974],"class_list":["post-58087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bedroom-furniture","tag-bed-sizes","tag-childrens-beds","tag-single-beds","tag-small-bedrooms"],"acf":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58087"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58087\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furnitureinfashion.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}How much space a standard single needs<\/h3>\n
Frame materials and what each offers<\/h3>\n
Storage single beds<\/h3>\n
Mattress choice for a single bed<\/h3>\n
Bedding for a standard single<\/h3>\n
Where a standard single works best<\/h3>\n
Before you order<\/h3>\n
Single beds in guest rooms and studies<\/h3>\n
Looking after a single bed<\/h3>\n
Frequently asked questions<\/h3>\n
What are the exact dimensions of a standard single bed?<\/h3>\n
Is a single bed suitable for an adult?<\/h3>\n
What is the difference between a single and a small single?<\/h3>\n
Can two single beds be joined to make a larger bed?<\/h3>\n
Do bunk beds use standard single mattresses?<\/h3>\n